This invention relates to belt fastener for fastening together a pair of belt ends and in particular to plate-type belt fasteners in which the plates span the belt ends.
The Applicant is aware of certain prior art and in particular U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,131 and Brazilian Patent Application No. BR6600420 (subsequently abandoned) wherein plate-type belt fasteners for connecting together a pair of belt ends are described.
The belt fasteners described in the prior art include operative first and second plates having apertures which are configured to be arranged in register with each other in an operative connecting condition wherein the plates span opposing surfaces of a pair of belt ends to be connected, each aperture being configured to permit a shank portion of a bolt to pass therethrough such that in the operative connecting condition, the shanks of the bolts pass through the aligned apertures of the first plate, belt ends and second plate, nuts which are screw threadedly received by the shanks projecting through the second plates serving to urge the first and second plates into the operative connecting or damping condition wherein the belt ends are retained or clamped between said plates.
In the prior art, plastic washer or spring clip arrangements were provided on the shanks of the bolts to retain the bolts in position in the first plates thereby inter elia to facilitate interconnection of the belt ends and to inhibit longitudinal or rotational displacement of the bolts relative to the first plate.
According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a belt fastener for fastening together a pair of belt ends including:xe2x80x94
operative first and second plates having apertures which are configured to be arranged in register with each other in an operative connecting condition wherein the plates span opposing surfaces of a pair of belt ends to be connected, each aperture being configured to permit a shank portion of a bolt to pass therethrough such that in the operative connecting condition, the shanks of the bolts pass through the aligned apertures of the first plate, belt ends and second plate, nuts which are screw threadedly received by the shanks projecting through the second plates serving to urge the first and second plates into the operative connecting or clamping condition wherein the belt ends are retained or clamped between said plates characterised in that the apertures in the first plate and a portion intermediate a bolt head and a threaded shank portion of the bolt are of generally angular configuration so as to prevent or inhibit rotation of the bolt in the aperture of the first plate in a receiving position wherein the bolt head is substantially in abutment with or in close proximity to an operative outer facing surface of the first plate, the intermediate portion furthermore being deformable so as to provide retaining formations for retaining and inhibiting longitudinal displacement of the bolt relative to the first plate in the receiving position.
The first plate may have detents, depressions or recesses surrounding the apertures to permit the bolt heads to be substantially flush with the operative outer facing surface of the first plate in the operative connecting condition.
The second plate may have detents, depressions or recesses surrounding the apertures to permit the nuts to be substantially flush with the operative outer facing surface of the second plate in the operative connecting condition.
The apertures and/or intermediate portions of the bolts are preferably of complementary square cross-section although it is to be appreciated that any suitable complementary interlocking configuration may be used.
The intermediate portions of the bolts may be configured to extend through or beyond an inner surface of the first plate.
The retaining formations may be provided by spurs or burrs towards the ends or edges, preferably at one or more corners or angular portions thereof, of the intermediate portion remote or away from a bolt head of the bolt.
The plates may include locking formations, preferably in the form of teeth, which are arranged to extend transversely the inner surfaces of the first and second plates and which in use engage the belt ends to aid retention of the belt ends between the plates in the connecting condition. The locking formations may be arranged along the edge regions or periphery of the plates.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a bolt having an intermediate portion between a bolt head and threaded shank portion of the bolt, the intermediate portion being dimensioned or configured to extend through or beyond an operative inner edge of an aperture in a plate through which it is receivable, the edges of the intermediate portion remote the bolt head being deformable to provide retaining formations for retaining and inhibiting longitudinal and rotational displacement of the bolt relative to the plate.
The retaining formations may in the form of spurs or burrs.
The intermediate portion may be of angular cross-section, preferably rectangular and in particular square, so as to inhibit rotation of the bolt in the apertures of the plate.
According to yet a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of retaining a bolt in position in a plate so as to inhibit rotational and longitudinal displacement of the bolt relative to the plate which method includes forming retaining burrs or spurs at the ends of an intermediate portion as hereinbefore described remote the bolt head when in the receiving portion.